Keratin Hair Treatment
Keratin is a rubbery protein essential to the protection of the hair shaft. Think of a keratin treatment as rehabilitation for your hair. Taking that a step further, a keratin hair treatment will reinforce and straighten frizzy hair. Even wild tresses become more manageable after a keratin hair treatment, while providing high gloss sheen. Are you unhappy with your hair styling results even though you have tried various products? Is your hair lifeless no matter what you do? Do you live or work in a humid environment? If you answered yes to any one of these questions, a keratin treatment is certainly worth looking into.
A keratin hair treatment is beneficial to all hair types, including virgin hair. A keratin hair treatment renews and restores the healthy sheen damaged from hair coloring, chemical perms and heat styling tools i.e. curling irons, hot rollers and flat irons. Repeated use of each ultimately leaves the hair shaft dry, split and wiry.
Before you make your decision to have a keratin treatment, however, consult with a licensed cosmetologist who has received the special training necessary to perform the treatment. If you decide to proceed, make sure you set some me time aside for this endeavor. The keratin treatment cannot be expedited quickly. Depending on your hair length and thickness, the treatment may take from two to five hours.
The day of the service, prepare yourself for the strong odor associated with the treatment and possibly a slight burning sensation. Some keratin treatments contain formaldehyde or aldehyde; look for one that does not. Many treatments are 100% chemical-free. If you color or perm your hair, that should be done at least two weeks prior to a keratin hair treatment.
You should expect the following steps to take place during your keratin treatment:
- Step 1) A clarifying shampoo will be used up to three times to remove chemical deposits. Your hair will be blown dry, but left slightly moist.
- Step 2) The Keratin will be combed evenly through the hair starting at the scalp and placed downwards to the ends of the hair.
- Step 3) Using a blow dryer to help with evaporation of the keratin , and the flat iron at no more than 450 degrees to seal the keratin, the hair is divided into small divisions. The keratin is sealed into the hair shaft with the flat iron no more than five times per section; conversely, it may be sealed ten times per section with a 230 degree flat iron. The degree of the flat iron and the number of times to seal may vary depending on the product used by the trained cosmetologist.
- Step 4) Wait 72 hours before shampooing your hair. During those 72 hours, do not place hair fasteners, bobby pins, clips, hair ornaments, or position your hair behind your ears. In other words, let your hair hang straight, untouched.
Aftercare instructions: When you do shampoo, use a sulfate-free shampoo with a ph of less than 5 to eliminate excess keratin and leave your hair silky.
Maintain your newly-treated hair with products designed to manage your keratin treatment. Normally, those products are available at the same salon you received the keratin treatment. This is a temporary treatment. In three to five month, your hair releases the keratin, so you must redo the treatment again including new hair growth.
If you experience side effects, they normally occur after the first shampoo. The side effects include an excessive amount of temporary hair loss. If you feel the hair loss is excessive and long-lasting, contact the cosmetologist who applied the keratin hair treatment.